Golf Club Fitting

Titleist Golf Club Trial

The full-set Titleist Golf Club Trial program provides golfers with an easy way to experience Titleist products on either the course or practice tee to help determine the right equipment for their game.

Just read a previous thread regarding this issue, but I am uncertain about shaft choice and lie adjustment.

Lets say I wanted to buy a set of AP2s for my son (10 years 4´7).

Which shaft option should I go for, and which lie adjustments?

Are there any steel shafts that could suit him?

I hope that he can use them for at least two years.

Thx

First off, sadly, your son is 10 years old now, 4'7"...in 2 years, he'll well out grow which ever clubs you get him now. There are so many different kinds of shafts out there, steel and graphite, that it's hard to tell which one would be best for your son. There's also stuff like soft stepping that could help out. As for the lie angle, it's impossible to tell what his lie angle would be without fitting him. If you can, take him to an authorized Titleist fitter and have him fitted properly.

We spend a lot of time together, playing golf, watching golf and talking about golf. I have a hard time explaining to him why I can buy myself a set of AP2 irons (although I already have another set) while he has to stick with his kids set of SW,5,7,9 hybrid and Driver. I love my AP2s and find it extremely satisfying to hit with them. I love the look and feel, and although I have lost a few yards compared to my previous "beginners" irons, I prefer the AP2s. And of course, my son is envious and also wants new clubs.

I feel that new clubs are motivating and challenging and brings more fun and joy into the game.

I have no problem spending money on getting him great clubs that he will enjoy for 2 years. I will probably be able to sell them for at least 2/3 of the price.

When it comes to club fitting, we don´t have that for kids here. So thats why I was wondering if there were any general tips I could use before ordering.

For example, I have read a thread here where Jerry S talks about "flattening 2 degrees" and Dudley talks about "2 degrees upright" for his 8 year old.

I have also read in the same threads about L-flex and A-flex, VS Proto ladies shaft and GDI 50 ladies shaft.

Since Titleist fitting does not exist for kids here, I need som tips as to what is most likely to work for my 10 year old.

Junior fitting - Make sure the fitter you go to has the assortment of shaft lengths for a 4'7" player. So much of the market place is stuck on the thinking of longer shafts. Ideally for a driver shaft a junior player should have a shaft length that would make the driver about 2-3" taller than his belly button when the club is stood on end. This will be much shorter length than what a lot of fitters have in their matrix. shorter shafts work great in hybrids, fairways and irons....

Please make sure you find a good fitter that fits lots of junior players. Getting clubs that are too long, too heavy and too little loft will ruin a junior player's swing.

My son 11 yrs old and will be 12 by the end of this year. He is right now just above 5' 3". I got him 710 AP1 irons about a year ago in Aldila graphite A flex, 2 degrees flat lie angle and -1 inch in length. He was almost 5 feet tall when I got the clubs. It him sometime to get used to them but, he hit them well and had a great summer. He has almost outgrown them and I need to get them reshafted to regular flex and standard length.

One of the things you want to keep in mind is the overall weight of the club. The main reason I did not go for adult clubs till last year was, whenever I had him try them, I felt he wasn't able to keep his normal tempo and rhythm with the heavier club. You can see this more in the longer clubs like 5 or 6 iron than in the shorter irons. Thats why I kept him playing the junior clubs till he was almost 11. It all depends on the strength and swing of the kid and you need to judge whats working better. I know some kids who started using adult clubs at a much younger age. I don't know if that worked well for them or not. If you want to continue to use junior clubs for another year till he is at least 5 feet tall, then I suggest you looking at the US Kids Gold Tour Series clubs. They sell complete sets. Maybe the 60 inch set will suit him now. Kids at that age may out grow their set almost every year.